Undercover Stripes
by AnimationGirl
Summary: Kind of a sequel to 'Triple Trouble'. A date goes wrong and Marty has a big problem. Funny enough, the penguins are also in troubles, and they need him to help them. But for this mission they don't need a zebra; they need a horse. Losing his stripes and cutting his mane are only few of the things Marty has to go through. And now he has to face his biggest fear; a riding school.
1. A Night Not To Remember

A/N: And I am back! Finally I came up with something good! I know, I know; I said this was supposed to be a one-shot. But I already had over 7000 words and not even close to be finished, so I decided to make into chapters. You'll get the first one now. Hope you'll like it!

For you new readers: You might want to read my fanfic 'Triple Trouble'. You can read this without, but then the start might seem confusing.

I do not own Madagascar.

**Undercover Stripes  
A Night Not To Remember **

"Angelica! Come on, hon! You know I didn't mean…"

"Leave me alone!" the black horse told him sternly while walking away from him.

But the zebra kept following her. "Aw, you can't mean that!"

"Yes, I can!"

"Angelica, I…"

"Don't talk to me!"

Marty bit his lower lip. "What do you mean?"

"It's over!"

"What? No!"

"We can't continue like this," the mare said sternly, not even looking at him.

The zebra widened his eyes. "But it has only been one night…"

"Exactly. If we end it here, it will hurt less."

"Can't we just give it a chance?"

"No."

Marty finally caught up with her. "Why? Is it me? You?"

"How dare you even think that it's me that is something wrong with?!"

The zebra visible flinched. "Sorry."

"Now just leave me alone!"

"But I…"

"I said; leave me alone!"

She speeded up, and for some time Marty just watched her go. But then he changed his mind. He could fix this! It wasn't such a big problem!

He just needed her to calm down and talk some sense into her! It could be fine! It could be fine!

Marty ran after her, getting closer and closer.

It could be fine! It could be…

The zebra's world went black as Angelica shoved her hoof into his face.

* * *

Panting heavily, Marty woke up. What? Wha?

He immediately calmed down as he realized it had all been a dream. Of course it had been a dream! He couldn't be that stupid, right?! Getting kicked by some girl… Yeah, right!

He stood up, his legs still shaking. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

The date with Angelica had gone fine.

Or had it...?

Marty actually couldn't remember. But why? He hadn't got drunk, had he? No, because there had been no alcohol involved. So why the memory loss?

The zebra was about to walk out of his wagon, when he suddenly started walking backwards again. First he had passed a big mirror, and now he was backing towards it again.

Had he seen right or…?

Marty took a look into the mirror again.

No…

Just no…

Why?

Why?!

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooo!" The zebra's yell woke up the other circus animals, but after some seconds thinking about what had happened, they all fell back to sleep.

But Marty kept staring at the mirror, mourning over how bad a spot looked on black and white stripes.

* * *

"Marty!" Alex called. "Marty! Seriously, how can you hide with such screaming stripes?"

"You know, scientists think that…"

"Now is not the time, Melman!"

"But where is he?" Gloria asked. "I want to know how his date with Angelica went!"

Alex grinned and said with a deep voice, "Angelica."

"Angelica?" Melman asked, obviously confused.

"Angelica," Alex repeated with the same voice as before. He then cleared his throat and turned towards Gloria, "But how are the E's going?"

The hippo raised an eyebrow, "The 'E's'?"

"Esmeralda, Esperanza and Ernestina!"

"Oh… They are fine. They are still a little confused about it all, but I think they have forgiven him."

"So it isn't them he's hiding from," Alex though out loud. Then what was wrong with his zebra friend? Well, he had to find out soon, so Alex made a plan. "You two, go ask the others if they had seen him. I'll continue search here."

Melman and Gloria nodded and quickly disappeared. Alex rubbed the back of his neck; what should he do now? "Marty!"

The lion kept walked around, looking for his friend. Where was he? "Marty!" He was about to start searching in another wagon, when he spotted the striped legs. Behind a curtain, the zebra was hidden. With the exception of his legs.

Stupid of him not to realize that the curtain was too short.

With soundless steps, Alex sneaked up on the hidden zebra. This was going to be fun. When he was close enough to him, Alex leaned his head towards the curtain and yelled, "Boooh!"

The zebra jumped up into the air, screaming. When he landed again, he fell to the ground, hooves held protectively over his head. "Don't kick me! Don't kick me! I'm sorry!"

"Marty? Marty, it's me!" the lion yelled, trying to get the zebra to look at him.

"Alex?" The zebra carefully lifted one of his hooves from his face. "Oh, it's just you!"

"Of course it's me? Who else should it be? And why should I be kicking you?"

Marty slowly stood up. "Nothing man. A nightmare has made me totally paranoia!"

"Well, you better get over it unless your next act in the show will be how to hide behind a curtain. And you really suck at doing it, by the way."

"Thank you," the zebra snorted sarcastically.

Alex leaned his back against the wall, while Marty remained by the curtain. "So how did the date with Angelica go? Can we look forward to see some zorses?"

Marty opened his mouth, but then closed it again. There went some seconds before he said, "Uhm… No. Just no."

"What? Why? Was the date bad?"

The zebra grinned nervously. "What? No! We're just taking it slowly… Like real slow."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Okay… So you are planning a next date with her?"

"Uh…"

"You know, Gia and I could fix something up, now when you have showed us all how bad your skills at making dates are."

"What?!" For a second the zebra was so surprised that he took a step forward, but then he quickly stepped back.

And that was when Alex realized that his friend was hiding something from him. All the time they had talked, the zebra had been standing in the shadows. And then there was the fact that he was looking so nervous.

And that he was hiding the right side of his face…

"Marty…" Alex spoke slowly. "What's wrong?"

"Wha…? What do you mean with 'what's wrong'? There's nothing wrong here! Okay, the date with Angelica wasn't fantastic, but a new day, a new chance, you know!"

"Marty!"

"What?"

Alex sighed. "Just tell me what happened."

The zebra looked at the ground, sighing as well. "Okay, the date was a catastrophe! She totally hates me, man! And I am just not sure why! So I followed and tried to calm her down, you know, with my charm, but then…"

"Then what?"

Marty let out a final sigh, and then stepped out of the shadows. "It doesn't look that bad, does it?"

Alex dropped his jaw when he saw it. "She… Did that?" he asked, before breaking into laughter.

The zebra immediately seemed offended. "Hey, it wasn't my fault that she just suddenly…"

"She kicked you?" Alex asked, still laughing.

"Yes. She kicked me." When the lion laughed even harder, Marty continued, "And it's not funny!"

"Sorry. Sorry! It's just… Have you looked at yourself?"

Marty sighed. "Yes. Yes I have."

On the right side of his face, there was something completely wrong with his striped pattern. And that something was a black eye.

Alex continued laughing, when Marty told him, "It's not funny!"

"Marty, of course it's funny! She gave you a black eye!"

The zebra's face darkened. "It's not funny. And you wanna know why? Because she gave me a black eye!"

"What did you do to make her that mad?!"

"I don't know! It's…" Marty sighed. "It's a long story." He then looked around, trying to see if Alex had brought someone along. "Can't we just pretend that this never happened?"

"And how is that you are going to hide that eye, buddy?"

The zebra started walking away from him. "You know, Esmeralda, Ernestina and Esperanza have them makeup. I was thinking about using it."

Alex started laughing again. "You are going to use makeup?"

"Yes, I am that desperate."

"You know, sometimes black eyes can be really cool… But not when they are made by a girl!"

"Just help me get to the makeup without anyone seeing me!"

Alex held up his paws. "Relax, relax! Of course I am going to help you! Stay here and I'll clear the way."

"But…"

"Just stay here!" Alex stopped the zebra with a pew, and then hurried out of the wagon. Where was she? Where was she?

There! "Gia!" he called and ran after the beautiful jaguar. "Hey, honey…"

"Where have you been?" Gia asked, putting her paws on her hips. "I've been looking for you since…"

"So sorry, but Marty's in trouble!"

The jaguar widened her eyes. "Is he okay? Can I help?"

"Well, he's okay after the circumstances and yes, you can help."

"How?"

"Just go call the others and get them away from the train."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because that's the plan!"

"And what should I say to them then?"

Alex rubbed his neck. "Uh… That there's a talent scout or something like that. Just keep them busy and when Marty and I am done, we'll tell them it all was just a misunderstanding."

"Fine, but you owe me a favor."

The lion leaned forward and kissed her on her cheek. "I always do, don't I?" Then he started to running back to Marty while waving to her. "Thank you, love!"

Gia rolled with her eyes, but still had a smile on her lips.

* * *

"And we are almost there!" Alex exclaimed as he and Marty jumped into the Triplets' wagon.

"Yeah, thank you, man," Marty told him as he started walking towards the mirror where the makeup was.

Alex followed him. "Don't thank me, thank Gia. I am serious, remember to thank her!"

Marty started picking out the things he needed. "I just can't believe we actually made it without getting seen!"

"You are right, Stripes," a voice suddenly said.

The zebra yelled and surprise and walked backwards, as four penguins came out from behind the mirror. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Making plans," Skipper told them.

"And why are you doing it in here," Alex asked, standing beside his zebra friend.

The four penguins came closer. "Because it's nice and quiet. Got a problem with that, lion?"

"No. Not really."

Skipper then turned to Marty. "And what exactly happened to your eye?"

The zebra coughed, embarrassed. "Well… It was an accident."

The penguins shared glances. "They all say that. Who beat you up, Stripes? Someone we should keep an eye on?"

"Uh…"

"It was his girlfriend!"

"Alex!"

"Sorry! I mean she's not his girlfriend anymore. And they only had one date…"

Skipper did a face-palm. "So the problem we are talking about is just about a girl?"

"And it was a pretty, girlie horse by the way," Alex told him.

"I… What did you say, Crazy Hair?" Skipper asked.

"That his girlfriend was some pretty horse?" Alex said, obviously confused.

Skipper turned around to face the other penguins. "Boys, our mission just got hundred thirty three percent more dangerous than expected."

"Why, Skipper?" Private asked.

"Because if a girl horse can knock out our colorblind friend, imagine what a trained soldier horse can do."

"This is not good, Skipper," Kowalski told him.

"I already know that, Kowalski."

Alex took a step forward. "What exactly are you talking about?"

Skipper cleared his throat and held his wings behind his back. "We are all in some serious trouble. Very serious trouble."

Marty dropped his jaw. "Wha…?"

"And it's all because of those sneaky horses." Skipper turned around to look at them. "They stole something from us. Something very important…"

* * *

"_Good job, boys. We really showed those squirrels how to behave. I bet they won't even mention the word 'nuts' again." _

_All the penguins did a high-five, and started marching back towards the train. But then Private stopped. "Uh… Skipper?" _

"_What is it, Private?" _

"_Uhm… Where's the key?" _

"_Kowalski has it." _

_The called penguin suddenly looked nervous. "I don't have it." _

_Skipper turned around. "Rico?" _

_The penguin shook his head. _

_Skipper then did a face-palm. "Holy salmons, we lost it again!" _

"_It apparently seems like the squirrels still need to be taught some manners," Kowalski said. _

"_Or maybe we just accidently dropped the key," Private suggested. _

_Skipper thought over the situation, before calling out, "Kowalski." _

_The smart penguin already had a paper with a draft ready. "I suggest we'll build this." _

_Some time later, the machine was ready. Basically it was an electronic play car with a horseshoe shaped magnet hanging from a crane. Some computer screens were attached to the little car, showing the results. _

_With this amazing device, they would find their key in no time. _

"_It's getting stronger when we are turning this way," Kowalski said while pointing with his wing towards a certain direction. _

"_Then that's the way we are heading towards," Skipper declared. "Speed up, boys!" _

_And so the machine became faster, passing numerous bushes and little rocks. "It's getting stronger, stronger…" Kowalski murmured. _

_The magnet started to move slightly. They were getting closer… _

"_I think I can see it!" Private exclaimed. _

_Yes, there was something in the grass ahead of them that was shining. A key, probably. _

_But then, suddenly, the amazing machine stopped. Well, it didn't exactly do it by itself; if the penguins hadn't driven it into a fence, it probably would have continued until it ran out of batteries. _

_The forced kicked the car off balance, and it fell backwards, getting stuck in the ground. While doing that, the thread that held the magnet cracked, and the magnet flew to the ground. It landed just beside the key, and after a second the metal was stuck on it. _

_The penguins moaned as their car landed on them. "What happened?" Private asked. _

"_I believe we hit something." _

"_Great thinking, Kowalski. Now how do we get out of here?" Skipper said, trying to move his trapped body. Finally he got an idea. "Kowalski, speed up!" _

"_What? But, Skipper, it would…" _

"_Speed!" Rico yelled, and pushed the gas pedal. _

_The little car started roaring, and smoke started to appear. _

"_I was trying to say that since we are stuck, the motor will overheat…" _

_WHRAM! The car got enough speed, and suddenly it somehow managed to make a backflip. All the penguins and the machine ended in a nearby bush. _

_Slowly, the penguins could be seen again, their heads popping out of the bush. "Remind me of never to drive one of those things again," Skipper said. "Now where's the key?" _

"_On the magnet," Kowalski told him. "That now is about to be picked up by that horse." _

"_WHAT?" _

_And sure enough, a brown horse on the other side of the fence was picking up the magnet, looking at it closely. It was about to lay it back down, when the horse shoe formed magnet got stuck on the real horse shoe. _

_The horse tried to pull it off, but nothing happened. Then the horse turned around and started walking away, limping slightly with the magnet under one of its hooves. _

_The penguins stared as it disappeared, their jaws dropped in disbelief. What had just happened? _

"_The key! The key!" yelled Rico as thy all fought to get out of the crashed car. _

"_Kowalski, status report!" _

"_An unnamed horse has grabbed the key and taken it with it towards what seems like a stable. A big one. Maybe even a riding school." _

"_What shall we do, Skipper?" Private asked. _

"_Let's head back to the circus, and lay our plans. These filthy hay eaters will not get away with this!" _

* * *

"And that is the story of how we ended here," Skipper finished. "And it seems like we are not the only ones that have a bone to pick with those horses."

"Wait a minute!" Marty cut in. "I don't want to…"

"So you are perfectly fine with that black eye?"

"I guess not…"

"So you are not fine with it?"

"Uhh…"

Private held up a wing. "Skipper, how are we going to take back the key?"

"What is it about this key?" Alex asked.

"None of your business," Skipper said sharply. "But I can reveal that the key is the reason why you are alive. And if we don't get it back, it's going to be bad for all of us."

Alex and Marty shared a glance. "Okay…" the lion said while backing off. "We'll just leave you to discuss your plans."

"Wait a minute!" Skipper exclaimed. "Aren't you forgetting something, Stripes?"

"The makeup!" Marty said, seeing what the penguin was holding up. "Thanks man…"

But Skipper stopped him before he could reach it. "Let's make a deal. You can cover up that embarrassing eye if you help us with one tiny mission."


	2. Spotless

A/N: So sorry for not updating! I mean, I had this chapter ready! I must have forgotten everything about this story! But here's the next chapter!

Oh, and for all of you that thought it would be all happy Marty/Angelica, well, I decided to tease you! Forgive me!

I do not own Madagascar.

**Undercover Stripes  
Spotless **

Marty looked at Alex with begging eyes.

"No!"

"Come on!"

"Just no!"

"Are you a scared zebra?"

"Yes! And I am not doing it! I won't go there!"

"Fine," Skipper said. "Then go around and show everyone how your date ended."

Marty murmured some ugly words, and then became silent.

Alex put a paw on the zebra's back. "Come on, buddy. It can't be that bad."

"Yes, it can!"

"Okay, maybe it isn't the best thing to do, but you'll help the penguins and keep your dignity!"

"Tell me, Alex, how it is that dressing up as a horse will help me keeping my dignity?!"

The lion raised an eyebrow. "Good point."

Marty hid his face again. "This is worse than the black eye!"

"Come on! It's going to be fun! You're going to be surrounded by female horses…"

"Don't you remember my last experiences with female horses?" Marty asked him. "And by the way, Angelica is living at that riding school!"

"What?"

"She told me, while the date was going great."

"Then it's a good thing that you are not going to be you, right? Reminds me of that we have to find a new name to you!"

"Alex…" Marty began, but the lion held up a paw.

"No, that's my name! We need something cool, but not as cool as my name, of course… What about 'Fransis'?"

Marty raised an eyebrow, making a blaming glance. "You serious?"

"Okay, okay! Not 'Fransis'… What about 'Louis'?"

"No!"

"Tim?"

"No."

"Sammi?"

"Isn't that a girl name?"

Alex suddenly smashed his paws together. "I got it! Troy!"

"Na… That actually sounds good! How did you find that?"

"You know, like the Trojan Horse! So now you are Troy! And just a little but more and you are finished!" Alex said, covering the zebra's body with makeup. "You are going to look so fine!"

"This is stupid, isn't it?"

"Just the last touch…"

"I am looking ridiculous, am I not?"

"And we are…"

"I should just as well give up."

"Finished!" Alex exclaimed. "Where did my zebra buddy go? I don't know, 'cause in front of me is a horse!"

Marty let out a weak fake laughter. "Really funny, Alex."

"What? You look better than you normally do!"

The zebra snorted and turned around to take another look in the mirror. His stripes were now gone, and instead his whole body was black. He lifted a leg, looked at it, and sure enough; no stripes.

"Gotta tell you, man, that you actually did a good work."

"Of course I did!"

"But you missed something."

"What?! You're totally black! How can I…?"

"My tail," Marty said flatly.

Alex looked at it. Well, he had painted it black, so what was wrong? "What about it?"

"Horses and zebras don't have the same sort of tail."

"They don't?"

Marty raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know that?"

"Of course I knew that!" Alex said, coughing embarrassed. "I just totally forgot that fact."

"So how are we going to fix that?"

Alex though about it for a moment, but then got an idea. "Wait here!"

With no idea of what else to do, Marty kept standing where he was while his lion friend disappeared. Why was he going this again?

Finally, Alex came back, carrying something him. As Marty looked closer, he realized it was hay straws painted black. "Put these on your butt."

"Why?"

"Because I am not doing it."

Marty turned around, and after some time he asked, "How do I look?"

Alex glanced at his friend's new tail. "Better than before."

"Am I finished now?"

"Now really." Alex held up a scissor. "Come here."

Marty's widened his eyes. "No."

"Come here."

"Alex, what are you going to do?"

"Trust me."

"Alex, don't you dare touch my mane!"

The lion held up his paws. "Come on! It's going to reveal you! Horses don't have that kind of mane!"

"Can't you just glue some hay on it?" Marty whimpered.

"Sorry, buddy. But it'll grow out again."

And Marty sadly stood still as Alex cut of most of his mane. Now the mane was only about an inch high and was painted black as the rest of his body.

"That's it! I quit!"

"No, you don't! You have come so far! If you go out now you won't only have a black eye! You will have a weird tail, a short mane and you still have your eye!"

The zebra scowled. "Fine… Let's get over it. Where's that riding school?"

"That's what I wanted to hear! Let's find the penguins."

And that was what they did. The weird birds were waiting for them outside the wagon. Skipper walked forward when he spotted the two friends. "Well, well. Looks like our monochromatic friend has lost his stripes."

"You so much owe me for this."

"Relax, Blackie. Just get in there, find the key, and get out. Not even you can mess that up."

They all turned around as a sound of voices could he heard. "Didn't you say they were distracted?" Marty asked Alex while backing away. He couldn't let the others see him like this!

"Go!" the lion exclaimed. "I'll fight them off!"

"Alex?"

"Just run, Marty! Forget about me! I'll make it!"

The zebra just looked at him. What was he talking about? Since when did their friends get dangerous? Alex sure looked like he was going to face death. "Okay…"

"Wish me luck!" the lion said as he took a stance.

"What are you talking about? If anyone is going to need luck it'll be me!" Marty exclaimed as he climbed the fence and started running away.

For a long time he could only see grass. No Alex, no fence, no train, and no horses. Was he the right place?

The grass sure looked tasty… No! Focus! Marty mentally scolded himself. He had to keep his thoughts on the mission. Even though he skipped breakfast this morning… Focus!

Finally, he spotted some buildings in the distance. Speeding up, Marty happily walked further. Maybe this wasn't so bad. Maybe the horses would be nice and he would back at the circus in a matter of no time.

And maybe he wouldn't even meet Angelica.

As he came closer to the buildings, the zebra suddenly stopped. He dropped his jaw. "Man, this place is huge!"

Everything just looked perfect. Soft, green grass. Big, white buildings. A giant show jumping course and a race course. Comfy-looking stables.

How was it that he had been able to miss all this?

"Can I help you?"

Marty quickly turned around at the sound of a voice. He now faced a white girl horse with pretty blue eyes. She kind of reminded him of Ernestina. And of course Esmeralda. And she did also look like Esperanza.

A fourth sister?

Nah, she did look a little different than them.

"Can you hear me?" the horse asked him as he didn't answer.

"Yeah! Uhm, sorry…."

"That's okay. Are you new? I haven't seen you before."

"I am Troy. Just a visitor for a short time, then I am moving on," he told her, using his 'new' name.

She blinked a couple of times. "We've never really gotten a visitor before."

"Yeah… That's because I have some important races to do, so I simply don't have the time to stay here," Marty explained.

"You're a racehorse?"

"Exactly!"

"You don't look like one."

"I don't?"

"You're very little and have tiny legs."

"Oh…" Marty held up one of his front legs. Both he and the female horse were standing at all fours, so he had to keep his balance by using tree legs now. "That's because of my family!"

Now she just looked confused. "Your family?"

"Yeah! My mother's family had very thin legs and my father's family was extreme short!"

She giggled loudly. "You are a very weird racehorse."

"I know. But thank you."

"I'm Ally, by the way."

"Hi, Ally!"

She laughed even harder. "Let me show you around."

They both started walking towards the stables, Ally happily explaining what was what. "That is the show jumping course and this is where we rest when we are training."

"Here's nice."

"Yes, it is. We are very lucky."

As they came closer, Marty could see about ten horses by the stables. He widened his eyes. Was one of them Angelica?

When the horses saw them, they started running towards them. Marty held in a whimper. Why seemed everyone bigger than him here? Well, of course there was the fact that he was smaller than everybody because he was a zebra…

"Who's that?" a big gray horse asked as he stopped his running just in front of them. He wasn't even panting after running like that.

"This is Troy," Ally said while pushing 'Troy' forward. "He's a visitor."

Marty gulped as he had to look up to see their faces. "Hi…"

"He's a racehorse!" Ally exclaimed, and Marty cursed mentally.

The big gray horse started laughing. "He is?"

"Be nice, Oliver," a new voice sounded. "Maybe he's quick!" It was another horse-girl, this one white with big, black spots.

"And maybe he's not," the male horse, Oliver, said.

"Hey, I am fast!" Marty exclaimed.

Oliver snorted, obviously not believing him.

Marty still tried to convince him. "I know I can beat you!"

"For your information, I am not a racehorse."

"As I said; I can beat you."

Oliver was about to open his mouth, when Ally cut him off. "Easy now, boys. We don't want any fights, do we?"

"Where do you come from, Troy?" a brown girl horse asked him.

"New York," Marty said but immediately regretted his words. "But I've been travelling a lot."

"That's so cool!" the horse said, her big dark eyes sparkling. "My name's Ruby, and I can follow you around if you want!"

Marty took some steps back; he did not like how this horse was acting. Last night he had been out on a date with four horses… He felt no need to a date now.

He just had to complete the mission and get out of here. "Heh… You guys haven't seen a horse shoe, have you?"

The horses looked at each other, obviously confused, but then Ruby started laughing. "You a so funny! I just love your joke!"

"Yeah…" Marty said, laughing nervously. "Joke."

"Hey, there's Angelica!" one of the horses suddenly said, looking up. "She doesn't look like she is feeling better."

"Poor girl," Abby said.

Ruby leaned closer to Marty and whispered into his ear, "She was on a date last night, and it ended awful! It was with one of those circus animals!"

"A zebra, to be exact. How could she be so stupid? You can be friends with such things, yes, but if you try something more it'll only end badly!" a horse told them. "I just hope they'll leave soon!"

"Yeah," Marty said weakly. "I met them on my way here. They sure were weird…"

He felt panic spread inside his body as he realized that Angelica was coming this way. What if she recognized him? He already had one black eye!

Slowly walking backwards, Marty got away as the other horses had their attention on Angelica. Then he quickly turned around and entered the nearest stable. Closing the big door behind him, Marty allowed himself to breathe again. "Man, that was close!"

"What was close?"

Marty yelled in surprise and jumped backwards.

"I apologize for scaring you," the golden horse in front of him told him.

"That's alright. You are not the first to do that today."

"You are the visitor," she said. "I heard the others talk about you."

"Yeah, that's me."

There was silence until Marty asked, "Who are you?"

"They call me Spot."

"That's a nice name… But why?"

"I once had a white spot on my forehead. It disappeared when I grow older, but the name was stuck," she explained calmly.

"Oh… I am Troy. Like in the Trojan Horse!"

She raised a golden eyebrow. "Are you hiding something?"

"Wha? No! I mean… How can you think that?!"

"The Trojan Horse was hiding something. You said you were like that."

"Not on that way! My name's just… Sound like it, you know."

"Okay." She then turned around and started walking away from him.

Marty widened his eyes in confusion. Okay… Mission! The mission! Focus!

"Uhm... Wait!"

She actually stopped, but asked, "Why?"

"Have you seen a horseshoe magnet?"

"What?"

"It's a weird horseshoe. White and red. Have you seen it?"

"No."

"Alright… Do you think it can be here? I just have that feeling that…"

"We have many horseshoes."

"Yeah, of course. I…" Marty had to keep himself from doing a face-palm. "I'll just go now."

But when he reached the door, she called out, "Maybe it's here somewhere. I can show you around."

Marty gave her a bright grin. "Perfect! Thank you!"

"I am not good at showing people around."

"That's okay. I am not gonna stay here anyway."

"When are you leaving?"

"Soon, I think. It depends on…"

"When you find the horseshoe?" Spot asked him.

He coughed embarrassed. "Nah… You know, when my humans want to leave."

"Yes. Are they nice? Your humans?"

Lying again, Marty said, "Yeah, they are very nice. Feed me and all that stuff. What about yours?"

"I am just a riding school horse. I don't really have humans. They change all the time. But I like when the children come."

"Are they sweet?"

"You have never tried riding with a kid?" she asked, obviously surprised.

"Well… No. Actually not. Maybe I should try it."

"You should." The golden horse then started moving again.

Marty ran after her. "Where are you going?"

"I was supposed to show you around."

"Oh… Lead the way, Miss!"

She smiled slightly, and was about to open a door when Marty stopped her. "I know this sounds weird, but can we… Uhm… Try an avoid meeting other horses?"

"You are right," was her answer.

"Uh…?"

"That is weird," she told him. "But we can do it."

Marty let out a breath he was holding in. "Thank you! I am just… Very shy."

"You don't seem like it."

"I know. It's a big secret. Don't tell anyone!" he said, jokingly.

But the golden horse seemed to take it very serious. "I won't."

They stepped into the next stable even larger than the other one. Luckily, it was empty. "So… Have you been living here all your life?" Marty asked her.

"Yes."

Silence.

"Do you like living here?"

"Yes."

Silence again. Marty was starting to get frustrated. He knew that he could talk a lot, so getting short answers wasn't his thing. But hopefully, she would open up.

And why was he even thinking like this? He was soon gone anyway. But he needed someone here to help him…

How he hated those penguins!

"Have you ever dreamt of doing something else?" he asked her.

"No. What should that be?"

"I don't know… Uh, I actually know some circus horses."

"We are not exactly fan of circus here."

"Oh… Great thing to know." Why? Why?! If it was revealed who he was… Dead zebra!

Coughing, he asked her again. "That horse, Angelica…"

"What about her?"

"She had met someone at the nearby circus, hadn't she?"

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"I heard some of the others talk about it. It didn't end well, did it?"

"No, it didn't."

"What happened?"

"The guy was a jerk. We are all mad."

Marty glanced at her. Her golden fur, brown eyes, calm face… "You don't look mad."

"What he did still wasn't nice."

"But what did he do?"

The golden horse shrugged. "I don't know. Angelica won't go into details. But it was bad."

"You know, maybe he didn't mean it…"

"He's a circus animal; he should never even try and date her."

Marty looked at him, eyebrows raised in confusion. "Uhm… Why?"

"Because circus animals are always travelling. That's why they shouldn't try and get a relationship with someone that isn't."

"But… But maybe it could work, you know. If they both really tried."

"Maybe. But those two won't get back together."

"You sure?"

"I am sure. But why do you ask?"

Marty shrugged. "Just curious. I'm kinda a romantic person."

"Okay."

The zebra smiled at her short reply, and they continued walking in silence.


	3. One Two Four

A/N: And I am back again, guys. Hope it's worth the wait.

I do not own Madagascar.

**Undercover Stripes  
One Two Four **

"Thanks for the show," Marty said as Spot showed him the last part of this huge place. "Here's crack-a-lacking!"

Spot raised a questioning eyebrow. "'Crack-a-lacking'?"

He blushed slightly. "It's just something I say. It means awesome, great… All that stuff!"

"Oh… Okay…"

"I can't believe you actually live here!" Marty exclaimed.

"Why?"

"It's just… You are so lucky! This is like a horse-paradise!"

She tilted her head, looking at him with big eyes. "So you would like to stay?"

"Yeah…" Marty would have kicked himself. Yes, the place was nice, but the horses would kill him! Of course he couldn't stay here! He belonged to the circus! "But I have to leave, you know…"

He turned around and widened his eyes. Talk about the devil… Five horses were running towards him, and he recognized one of them as Oliver. Just great…

"Hey, there's the little race horse!" the male horse exclaimed as he stopped running. "And Spot is showing him around! How sweet!"

Marty gulped as he understood that it was Ruby that was standing in front of him, but the brown horse was too busy glaring daggers at Spot to look at him. The golden horse had silently started to eat the grass under them.

"Good news to you, Troy! I found a way for you to show us your skills!" Oliver told him, grinning on a way that Marty didn't like.

"My skills?"

"This is Lightning," the big, gray horse said and stepped aside. Another horse, light brown, came forward. Marty guessed that he was the one named Lightning. "He's a race horse too, and is worthy to his name," Oliver continued.

Lightning gave a short nod with his head. "Hi."

"Hi…" Marty answered, trying to hide how much his legs were shaking. This was not what he had come for!

"I was thinking if we could have a little race. Just for fun, you know," Oliver suggested.

Marty mouth was dry when he said, "I don't know…"

"Then it's a deal!" Oliver smiled brightly. "Meet us at the race course in ten minutes."

When they had left, Marty hung with his head. Just great! Now he had to make a fool of himself!

"Are you okay?" Spot asked, straightening up again.

"It's just… I am not that good at being a race horse."

"Oh…"

"Yeah… This is just not my lucky day, you know? Now I have to beat that Lightning-guy, and I have like no chance of doing that! I should just give up!" Marty exclaimed. He should just go back to the penguins and tell them that he could not do it.

"Lightning is fast."

Marty sighed.

"But maybe you are fast too," Spot told him.

"Thanks," Marty murmured darkly. "But don't cheer on me, Spot."

"Why?"

"Because it's not worth it. I am going to lose anyway."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. I am a soothsayer, and I see a long dark future ahead of me."

Spot waited patiently for him to pull himself together. Finally, he stood up. "Can just as well do it now. Remember to be there at my funeral."

"You're not going to die," she told him.

"Let's see that first." He then put up a smile. "Okay, let's do that race!"

They walked together towards the race course, both silent. All the horses were there; all ready to watch who would be the winner. Apparently, the humans were holding a lunch break and did not see anything.

Spot suddenly turned left as she placed herself among the others. She gave him a last glance, and Marty continued the walk alone.

"Good luck, Troy!" Ruby yelled from a distance.

Marty smiled nervously, but then kept his glance at the ground. He made his way into the course, where Lightning was waiting for him.

"Hey again," he said shortly.

"Hey…"

"You okay?" the brown horse asked.

Marty nodded slowly. "Just a little nervous."

"You shouldn't be. It's just for fun."

The 'black horse' smiled back at him. "Thanks, man!"

"No problem."

Oliver cleared his throat to get everybody's attention. "Are the horses ready?" he asked, and Marty and Lightning nodded. "On three."

"One!" all the horses yelled in unison.

"Two!" Marty tried to block the sound off.

"Three!" His legs are moving even before his mind understands it. After what feels like seconds, his muscles are burning. Lightning is in front of him the whole time, and he forces himself to move faster.

It didn't feel like when he was running with his herd. Now he had to prove something, and he had given up even before he started running.

Marty briefly wondered what Alex was doing. Maybe he was thinking that his zebra-buddy was having a great time. If only, if only…

Lightning was now so far away from him, and Marty knew that all the others now knew that he would lose. Race horse… Yeah right!

He looked to his right and spotted Angelica of all people standing among the others, looking at him. By the way she was yelling, it could be that she was cheering on him. He kind of hoped so.

Speeding up, Marty decided to try and win this thing. Maybe he would lose, but he could do it better than this.

The cheering sounded like it became louder, and Marty was sure that Lightning was closer to him than before.

And suddenly he was past the finish line. The cheering nearly exploded, and the horses started running towards them. Both Marty and Lightning were panting heavily. Lightning then turned to Marty. "You're actually pretty fast for such a short person."

"You're… Fast… Too…" Marty said between the gasps.

Suddenly, he noticed that Spot was beside him. "That was actually impressive. You nearly beat him."

"Did… I…?"

"You were so close. No one thought you would be that good."

"I…" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Angelica smiling to her. A warm feeling spread inside of him.

And suddenly he fell to the ground.

"Troy, are you okay?" Spot asked, leaning down towards him.

"Wake me up tomorrow," he murmured before burying his head in the grass.

* * *

"I can't believe I actually did it!" Marty exclaimed as he and Spot enjoyed the evening together. The zebra had slept the last few hours and was now happy as ever.

"You were pretty, uhm…"

"Crack-a-lacking?" Marty suggested with a grin.

Spot nodded. "You could say that."

"Then say it!"

"What?"

"I want to hear it from your mouth. Say it with me! Crack-a-…."

"Lacking," she finished for him, smiling brightly.

Mary grinned back. "That's what I wanted to hear! Don't say you didn't enjoy it!"

"It was a bit fun," she admitted.

"A bit?"

"Okay, a lot." She chuckled again. "I don't understand why you were so nervous about that race."

"I haven't really tried anything like that before…"

Spot tilted her head. "You are a race horse, but have never tried a horse before?"

He smiled to her, a little embarrassed. "It's a long story."

"You can be proud of yourself."

"Thank you."

"You are welcome. And it's true," she said slowly. "You are going to stay here tonight, right?"

"If there's space for me to sleep, then yes," Marty told her.

"We can find a place for you in the stable."

"Then thank you."

Marty then realized that he hadn't searched for the magnet since morning, and now it was evening. Should he start again? Nah… He could always do it tomorrow.

Spot was sweet, so why not enjoy her company?

"Have you ever seen a circus show before?"

She giggled again, and Marty enjoyed the sound. "No. Isn't it for humans?"

"Well, yes… But…"

"Have you seen a circus show?"

"Yes. Actually I have. Many times, to be true," Marty told her. They were both standing on a hill, enjoying the sunset while eating grass as dinner.

"Was it good?" she asked him while leaning down to eat.

"Yes, very. And I don't think those circus are as bad as you think. They were pretty fun, actually," Marty said slowly while keeping his eyes on the ground.

Spot looked at him. "Maybe. But it still feels like they are different than us."

"Everybody's different!" exclaimed the zebra.

"Yeah, but still…"

"Still what?"

She sighed loudly. "Never mind. I've never been one of those smart persons anyway."

"You seem smart for me," Marty told her, pushing her lightly with his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw that some of his black makeup was now on her. He quickly brushed it away, getting a weird glance from her.

"What are you doing?"

"There was some dirt on your shoulder… It's gone now!"

She rolled her brown eyes. "Okay…"

"Troy! Troy!"

The black zebra visible flinched when he head Ruby's voice. "Oh no…"

Ruby soon was on the top of the hill with them, smiling brightly. "What are you two doing?"

Marty moved a step away from Spot without noticing it. "Spot was just showing me around…"

"Oh…" Ruby said, obviously thinking that she could have done that.

Spot just continued eating grass, not even looking up.

* * *

"Can you see him?" Private asked.

"Just a minute…" Kowalski said, moving his binoculars to try and get the right vision. "There!"

The other penguins moved closer, still hiding in the bush.

"He's on the hill with two horses," Kowalski told them. "One of them might be the one who took the key. It looks like he is talking to them… Wait!"

"What is it, Kowalski?" Skipper asked, trying to see the painted zebra with his own eyes.

"The horses are turning around… Walking on each side of him, taking him with him!" the penguin exclaimed.

"Holy flying fish! They have captured him!" Skipper exclaimed. The penguins jumped out of the bush and he continued, "Boys, we now have a zebra to rescue!"


	4. Stuck Stripes

A/N: Whoops… I kinda forgot this story, didn't I? But I am back! Btw, for all KFP fans; please check out my long one-shot (11,000 words baby) 'Little Memories'. It is one of the reasons why I haven't been updating this story lately.

Please forgive me.

I do not own Madagascar.

**Undercover Stripes  
Stuck Stripes **

With a yawn, Marty woke up. Realizing that he wasn't in the train, his home, he went into panic. "Alex?" Some seconds after having yelled his friend's name, Marty remembered where he was.

The riding school…

"Who's Alex?" Spot asked as she too woke up the stall next to him.

"Just someone," Marty answered quickly. "He isn't really important. Good morning!"

Spot smiled. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Crack-a-lacking!"

"Great to hear."

Marty nervously scratched the ground under his hooves. "It's no to kill the moment or anything… But I need your help."

"With finding that horseshoe?"

"Exactly!"

Spot nodded. "I will help you. But first we have to take care of the kids."

"Wait! What?"

"The kids," Spot explained. "They always come on Saturdays."

"So what are we going to do with them?"

"They come here to ride, so that is what they are going to do," Spot said but then saw Marty's expression. "It's not that hard."

Marty sighed deeply. "Spot, I know you mean it well and all that… But I can't let them ride me!"

"Why?"

"Uhm… It's hard to explain."

"Why?"

"It's kinda embarrassing."

"Why?"

Marty groaned, but then quickly told her it. "I have never tried it before. You know, having humans on my back."

Spot raised an asking eyebrow. "But you said that you are a racehorse."

"I lied, okay. I am not proud of it. But the thing is, that I am actually pretty useless. I am just here to get the horseshoe, then I am out of here."

"I don't think you are a useless," Spot said, tilting her head.

"Maybe not… But I am not good at being a horse." Marty sighed. "I am just doing what I am told."

"Listen, you can just watch while I spend my time with the kids. When I am finished, I think I have some ideas to where your horseshoe can be."

Marty started smiling again. "Thanks, girl."

"No problem. Maybe you will learn some tricks."

"Believe me, I have tried to be around kids. I am just not good at it."

"It's not that hard. You just have to entertain them."

"I know. My friend-"

"Alex?"

Marty nodded. "Yes, him. He is very good at entertaining."

"But you aren't?"

"Alex is just… You know, he love him, he loves it."

"But you-?"

"I wanted something else."

"So you are not friends anymore?" Spot asked.

Marty widened his eyes. "No! Alex and I are fine! We just, you know, want different things."

"What do you want?"

"I don't know… It probably sounds stupid for you, but… Have you ever thought of being wild?"

"Wild horses are an endangered species, Troy."

"I know, but… I wanted to be it. I still do, I think. So I travel around."

"And that is fine?"

"Yeah… I am just a restless soul, you know?" Marty said, while stretching out his legs. "I just… Wander around."

Spot's smile faded. "Riding school horses can't just do that. We have a responsibility."

"Yeah… That is one of the reasons why I am not good at being a riding school horse," Marty admitted.

As the other horses stared to wake up, Spot nervously looked around. "The children are coming soon. Let's go outside."

Marty did as she said and took in a deep breath of fresh air. Why was he doing this again? And why wasn't he focusing on his mission?

The horseshoe… That was the only important thing!

The penguins had told him that his life depended on it. He had to find it… Alex was counting on him. The penguins were counting on him!

He had to save the world.

But then he had to remember that Spot wasn't important.

Angelica wasn't important.

But the horseshoe… He had to concentrate about finding it! Then he could go home and everything could be normal! He could be a zebra again…

Yay…

"So what are you going to do?" he asked Spot, standing beside her.

"Wait for them to come," she answered happily.

"So… Are you looking towards it?"

"They are very nice. Especially a girl named Natalie. She likes giving my treats."

Marty widened his eyes at the thought. "Do they often give you treats? And what is it?"

"Sugar. Sometimes carrots. And yes, they will give you it if you behave nicely."

"Maybe I should think about becoming a riding school horse one more time…"

"Hush. I think that they are coming!" Spot told him, and her eyes were focused on a door belonging to the building in the distant.

Suddenly, Marty became nervous; this was just like the lull before the storm.

Maybe the kids weren't as nice as Spot had described them. Maybe they were kinda evil. Maybe…

A sound of voices and laughter became louder.

Marty never had tried having anyone riding him before. He was a zebra! He wasn't supposed to be used as a riding horse!

Finally, the door burst open, revealing ten crazy kids running towards the two 'horses'. Marty took some steps back, staring at them in fear. "Spot," he whispered. "Is this normal?"

She nodded. "They are very happy kids."

"Good to know."

And so the children came closer. Marty's heart started to beat faster. He could survive this… He had to survive this…

"Don't kill me," he whimpered so quietly that Spot couldn't hear it. Or else she just decided to ignore it.

For a moment it felt like everything happened in slow-motion. "Horses!" a girl with her face full of freckles. She was pointing at the horses while running.

Then everything returned back to normal, and suddenly, all the kids were around them.

"Oh, Spot is so cute!"

"I love her!"

"It's my turn to have her!"

"Who's that?"

"He is new, isn't he?"

"He is beautiful!"

"What do you think his name is?"

"I want him! Please let me get him!"

Marty widened his eyes even more, backing further behind until his butt touched a fence. He was trapped!

"Spot?" he called nervously. "What should I do with them?!"

"Just be nice. They like you; make sure it stays that way."

"But… But I am not good at making people like me!" Marty exclaimed. "And definitely not children! Hey, you little girl; get off my leg!"

Spot sighed, blowing some of her bangs away. "Believe me; that is not true."

"Come on! Look at me! I am a monster when it comes to such things!"

"You made me like you. You made Ruby like you. You made-"

"I get it! But that doesn't change the fact that I totally screwed up a date some days ago!"

Spot widened her eyes. "You did?"

"I did! And now she hates me!"

"I feel sorry for you," Spot told him. "And you seem really freaked out today."

"I am! Please, help me get these things off me!"

"Troy, they are called 'kids'."

"Please," he begged.

One again she sighed. "Fine." After that, she stood up on two legs, making a calling sound. It worked, for all the kids suddenly forgot all about Marty, and ran towards her.

"Oh Spot! We didn't forget about you!"

Marty let out a relieved sigh; nope, this was not worth any sugar. "New plan. You distract the kids; I get out of here and wait for you to return."

"Coward," Spot snorted.

"Hey, they are freaking me out!"

"I'll see you later then," Spot told him.

"See ya!" Marty yelled before running away. As he did, he murmured, "If you survive…" Why was he acting like this? Sweating, heart beating like crazy… He could do this! He performed in front of humans all the time… Or exactly 'Marty' did that. Troy on the other hand…

Who was he?

Stupid painting… Stupid idea… Stupid horseshow that remained missing…

Magnet! It's called a magnet! Marty mentally scolded himself; why did he believe his own lies now?

Stupid!

"Troy?" a gentle voice called. Marty turned around to see no one else then Angelica walking towards him.

"Angelica?!" Marty asked, jaw hanging. That horse… She was just as beautiful as she had been on their date…. The date that had ended in a disaster.

The black horse smiled to him. "So you do remember me."

"Yeah… The others told me about you yesterday."

"And they told me about you," she smiled happily. "But then you just disappeared."

"I was… Uhm… Spot was so nice to show me around," Marty told her.

Angelica nodded. "Yes, Ruby told me that. So do you like the place?"

"Here is… Nice. Pretty… I mean the place is pretty! But not that you aren't… I'll just shut up now!"

The black horse giggled. "So charming."

Marty blushed, even though the black paint covered it. "Though, I am not a fan of the kids," he said, kind of changing subject.

"Me neither. They are so noisy!"

Marty grinned. "We have a lot in common then."

"I know this will sound kinda stupid… But would you care to eat breakfast with me?" she asked him, eyes big.

Marty considered the situation in a second. His last date with her had ended badly. But on the other way; why not give it another chance? Maybe he could even figure out what he had done wrong last time!

"Of course! That is not stupid at all! It's crack-a-lacking!"

Angelica widened her eyes. "What did you say?" she asked, suspiciously.

The zebra then realized his mistake. 'Crack-a-lacking' was something Mary would say. And he could not be Marty right now.

Angelica knew Marty…

He had to be careful with what he said.

"Sorry! I just… Uhm… Sneezed!" he explained.

"Okay…"

"So," Marty suggested. "Let us eat."

Peacefully, the two horses enjoyed the grass. "This is so fun," Angelica told him. "We should do this more often."

"Yeah… But I don't exactly know for how long I am going to stay here," Marty admitted with his mouth full of grass.

Angelica looked at him, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I can't exactly stay here. I am travelling around."

"To win competitions?" she asked.

"Yeah. Kinda."

She nodded. "I saw you yesterday while you ran. That was pretty impressive. You know, for a horse with such short legs."

"I hear that often," Marty grinned. "My little legs."

"But they make you look rather cute," Angelica admitted.

"What?!"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that," the horse quickly said.

"Nah! That's fine. You are cute too."

"Well, thank you, Troy."

There was silence in some time while they tried and figure out what to say. Finally, Angelica spoke, "And there isn't any way that I can make you stay here?"

"No, not of what I know. I have someone waiting for me at home, you know?"

"A girl?" Angelica asked with a little voice.

Marty widened his eyes and shook his head rapidly. "You crazy? No!"

Angelica smiled again. "I am happy to hear that."

"So… Yesterday I kinda heard the other talking about a date you had," Marty tried carefully.

"Oh…"

"It ended badly, didn't it?"

Angelica sighed. "I should have known that the others would use it as gossip. But yes, I made a big mistake and dated the wrong guy."

"A zebra."

"Yes. Did they really tell you that much?" she asked him.

Marty nodded, listening carefully. "But I don't exactly know what happened."

"He was just… Not my type. It was like he had the whole planned."

"He had?" Marty asked, confused. Had he?

Angelica nodded. "It was creeping me out. He was just… Weird."

"He sure was," Marty muttered bitterly.

"So I left. But he kept following me."

"Let me guess; you then kicked him in the face?" Marty asked jokingly; already knowing the answer.

The horse widened her eyes. "How did you know that?"

He shrugged. "Just a lucky guess."

"But I would never do that to you," Angelica told him. "You are too sweet." Then she leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth.

Marty's eyes widened, his ears rapidly moving. Wha…? How? What was…?

She was kissing him! Why?! What should he do?!

Angelica pulled back, blinking with her big eyes. She was blushing slightly, looking adorable shy.

Marty on the other just look stunned, surprised with giant eyes.

In the distance Spot was standing on a hill, looking down on the two horses. She had come to remind Troy of finding the special horseshoe, but now she understood that he had whole other plans.

With a sigh, she turned around to walk back into the stables.

* * *

"Crazy Hair!" Skipper yelled. "Wake up!"

"Whoa!" Alex exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, shocked. "I am awake! I am awake!"

Skipper crossed his wings. "Good to hear. Now pay attention. It's about your no-longer-striped-friend."

"Marty?" Alex asked, listening closely. "What about him? Did he get the key?"

"Just the opposite. Your friend has been captured by the hay-eaters!"

"What?!" the lion exclaimed. "Oh no! Poor Marty! I told him doing it was a bad, but he wouldn't listen!"

Skipper glared at him, the other penguins standing behind him. "Right," he said slowly. "But now we need you to a rescue mission."

Alex nodded, and then started running out of the train wagon. "Don't worry, Marty! I am coming!"

"Skipper?" Private asked as they watched the lion run away. "Should we tell him that he is heading the wrong way?"


	5. Racezebra

A/N: And I am back! I love how this story is just so… Weird. I mean; just try and take a look on the summary! But I love it… Because I am weird too! It's true!

So here is the new chapter! Hope you like it!

I do not own Madagascar.

**Undercover Stripes  
Racezebra **

"Not good," Marty muttered as he paced back and forth. "Not good. Not good. Not good!"

What was he supposed to do? One part of him told him to stay here… Another part told him to find the magnet and then run away as fast as he could.

Angelica had kissed him… Wait! She had not actually kissed him! She had kissed 'Troy'! There was no one who liked 'Marty'.

Sighing, Marty stopped walking. What should he do?

In the distance he could suddenly spot a familiar horse. "Spot!" he called, running after her. The horse did not walk away, but neither did she run towards him. She just remained standing.

"I was looking for you," Marty told her. "I thought you would find me after you entertained… The kids," he finished in a dark tone.

"You were busy," she said slowly.

"No, I wasn't," Marty protested. "Spot, I need to find this magnet. It is important!"

"Magnet?" she asked, repeating the word he had used.

Scolding himself mentally, Marty corrected himself. "Horseshoe. I will explain later. Can we find it now?"

"I don't think I have time," Spot said slowly.

"What?! But you promised!"

"Yes, but when I had time you were busy with kissing Angelica!"

"Excuse me, but it was Angelica who kissed me! And you can just show me where you would have searched then I will find it myself!"

"Maybe we should just wait; then you will have more time staying here."

Panicking, Marty walked forward. "But I can't stay here; that's the point. Please, Spot!"

The horse just stared at him, until she finally said, "If you tell me the truth, then I might show you it."

Widening his eyes, Marty suddenly got nervous. "Wha…? What are you…? What are you talking about?!"

"You know what I am talking about."

"No! I don't!"

Spot just continued glaring at him, and for the first time Marty saw anger in her expression. "I know that people think I am stupid. I just never imagined that you would think it too."

With that she turned around and started to run away.

"Come on!" Marty called after him. "I don't think you are stupid! If anyone is stupid then it is me!" But he got no answer. "Just great," he muttered.

What should he do now?

Then he got an idea. "Ruby!"

In a flash, the brown horse was beside him. "You called, Troy?" she said, eyes sparkling.

"Uhm… Yes! I need your help!"

"You do?" the horse asked him, stunned.

"Yeah!" Marty exclaimed. Even though he did not like to work with Ruby, he just wanted to get out of here.

Maybe he should have asked Angelica… No. After the kiss she had had to leave; much to his joy. First when she was gone he had been able to think again. "Do you remember that horse shoe I talked about?"

Ruby nodded. "Yes! Of course!"

"Great! You have to help me find it!"

"So is it just a horseshoe? Because we have really many of those here!"

"Right! It's red and white! Does that help?" Marty asked, walking closer to her.

She nodded rapidly. "I think I have seen it!"

"You have?!" Marty asked, nearly too scared to believe it. It was like a miracle! "When?! And where?!"

Ruby smiled to him, leaning her head close to his ear. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course! Man, I am the best to keep secrets! I'll never tell anyone!"

"Good! Then do you want to hear it?"

"Is it about the horseshoe?"

"Yes."

"Then of course I want to hear it!"

Ruby chuckled but then said, "Abby has this secret place where she hides all of her horseshoes. She likes collecting them."

"Collecting?" Marty asked, unsure if he had heard it right.

Ruby nodded again. "And yesterday I found one to her. And it was red and white!"

"That's the one I am looking for!" Marty exclaimed. "You have to help me get it back!"

"I don't get it; why is it so important?"

"Uhm…" Marty rubbed the back of his neck. "It is a long story."

"Okay! But I can show where it is if you promise not to tell anyone!"

Marty nodded. "I promise."

"Do you swear?"

Sighing, Marty said, "I swear."

Ruby's face became one big smile. "Great! Now I will show you!"

Marty followed her into one of the stables. "So where is it?"

"Just a minute; we have to go in here," Ruby said, walking into one of the stalls. "This is where Abby sleeps."

"Oh… Nice thing to know," Marty said.

"We just have to move some hay…" Ruby muttered. "And here it is!" she exclaiming, shoving a chest out of the stall. "Open it!"

Marty just stared at her. "You sure?" he asked, not liking to just open other persons' things.

"Yeah! It is in there!"

Marty then did what he was told, and when the chest opened a bunch of horseshoes was revealed. Quickly, Marty found the red and white one. "Weird hobby," he muttered, while examining the magnet.

Sure enough; a little key was stuck on it.

Marty smiled as he realized it; he had just saved them all!

"Thank you so much, Ruby! I really owe you one there!"

She blushed, cheeks as red as a tomato. "Oh… That is nothing. I am just so glad to help you, Troy. But if you would like to return the favor…"

She leaned forward; mouth ready for a kiss.

But when nothing happened, she opened her eyes to see that Marty was in the other end of the stable.

He grinned to her. "Again; thank you so much! You are crack-a-lacking!"

Ruby just stared at him, not even reacting as he left the stable.

Freedom! Marty was running on two legs, holding the magnet with his front legs. He could go home! He could leave this place! But Angelica… And Spot…

What would they say?

Suddenly, lost as he was in his own thoughts, Marty bumped into someone. More exactly; Abby.

"Uhm… Hey!" Marty said but it was already too late.

"What are you doing with my horseshoe?" Abby asked him sternly. "It's mine!"

Marty shook his head. "Actually it is not. Ruby found it when one of my friends lost it."

"Your friends?" Abby asked, raising an eyebrow. "And who gave you permission to look through my stuff?"

"Ah… Abby, I am sorry, but I have to go now!"

"Leaving so soon?" a new voice asked, and suddenly he was surrounded by horses. Marty seemed to shrink as Oliver stood in front of him.

Walking backwards, he said, "Yeah… It's time for me to go, you know? It was nice to meet you all!"

"Are you really going, Troy?" a voice asked, and Marty then saw Angelica walking towards him.

"No!" he exclaimed. "Or yes… I don't know!"

"And why did you take my horseshoe?"

"It's just like a said; he does not belong here!"

Marty slowly backed away only to realize he was surrounded. "But…"

"Have you lied to us?"

"You can't just steal; it is wrong!"

"Where are your humans?"

"What is going on?"

"I am a zebra!" Marty suddenly exclaimed. "That's what is going on! Please don't kick me!"

But all they did was to stare. Suddenly, one started laughing. "I told you; his jokes are so funny!" It was Ruby. Slowly the laughter spread, but Marty still could not relax.

"I really have to go," he almost whimpered.

"My horseshoe…" Abby began.

"Fine!" Marty exclaimed. "Just let me do something first!" With all his might he tried to get the key of the magnet, but it just would not move. Apparently, the magnet was very strong. "Uhm…"

Abby glared at him. "Troy. My horseshoe."

"I can't…"

"Okay! That's it! You are stealing a lady's shoe?!" Oliver thundered, moving forwards threatening.

Marty shook his head. "What?! No! That's not what is going on at all!"

"Then what is?!"

"I…" What could he say? Backing away Marty stared at the big horse in fear. Here it comes… Another kick… Then his left eyes would match the other one. Great!

Preparing himself for the hit, Marty closed his eyes. But something happened.

A roar.

A roar so loud that it made the horses freeze, then widened their eyes in fear.

"Alex?" Marty asked quietly, and sure enough soon a familiar lion came into sight.

The horses all turned around, running away as fast as they could. It was obviously that they knew that they were the prey and he was the predator. What they did not know was that Alex had no really intention of hurting them.

Instead he turned towards the remaining 'horse'. "Marty!" he exclaimed, running towards him. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am!" Marty snorted. "What are you doing here?!"

"Helping you!"

"What? I don't need help!"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Right!"

"Okay… Kinda. But I got it!" he said and held out the magnet. "Look!"

"Great! Not let us get out of here…"

"The key," Marty said, cutting Alex off. "Can you pull it off?"

Alex shrugged. "Sure." And so he did, using his claws. "Here we go."

"Thank man!" Marty grinned. "But you just keep the key; I'll just end up losing it." But he took the horseshoe and then laid it on the grass. Now Abby could keep it.

"Hey, Marty?" Alex asked. "What was going on here?"

"Long story," Marty sighed. "What has happened while I was gone?"

Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… They know about the mission."

"What?!"

"Sorry! But they got suspicious!" Alec explained. "But they don't know about your eye."

Letting out a relieved sigh, Marty said, "At least that is a good thing."

"Troy!" somebody called and Marty turned around to see Angelica slowly coming towards them.

"Troy," another voice said quietly and the zebra could now see Spot coming from another stable.

Not good!

"Troy, what is going on?" Angelica asked. "Who is he?"

"Uhm…" Marty tripped over his own words as he tried to explain. "I…"

But suddenly, a lot of water was splashed on him. "Alex, what are you doing?" Marty exclaimed, knowing what was going to happen.

"Giving the explanation to the two ladies," Alex said. "Don't hate me."

And so the black color was gone… Well, except the stripes that remained.

"What…?" Angelica whispered.

Marty looked at the ground. "I am _so _sorry." He looked at them both.

Then Angelica recognized him. "You…" she whispered. "You creep!" she then shouted, running away.

Spot remained standing, looking at him calmly.

Marty walked closer. "You don't look surprised."

"Five minutes ago you told everyone you were a zebra," she said. "I was there too."

"But apparently it was a joke," Marty said. "A bad one, after my opinion."

"I would like to hear the whole explanation, but first there is something you need to do," Spot told him.

"What?"

Spot turned her head in the direction Angelica had went. "This is the second time you made her sad. Maybe now is the time to apologize."

Knowing she was right, Marty nodded and started walking away. He called over his shoulder, "Stay here!"

Alex took one step closer to Spot who did what she was told. "So…" he began. "Who are you?"

* * *

"Angelica," Marty called as he found her alone in one of the stables.

"What do you want now?" she sneered.

"Listen; I never wanted to hurt you. I don't know what I did wrong on that date, but I probably deserved the kick. And about Troy… I didn't have a choice, you know? My friends needed my help-"

"I understand," she cut him off. "And I am not that angry. I just… You and I… I think it is best we don't see each other. At least not in the next couple of months."

Marty understood her completely. "Yeah… That won't be a problem. We have to travel. Life in a circus…" He sighed. "And I am sorry."

"The kiss…" she began.

"I know. You liked Troy." He let out a weak smile. "But he just doesn't… Exist."

"Exactly," she said. "And I would take the opportunity to apologize for kicking you."

He let out a laugh. "That alright. I could use someone to knock some sense into me! Maybe then I would stop doing crazy things like this."

She smiled back. "Maybe."

"Before I leave… Could you please tell me what I did wrong?"

"You were just… So freaky, no offense. It was like you had it all planned. The date, the future. And I was just doing Stefano I favor. Then you talked about zorses…"

"Stupid thing to do, wasn't it?" Marty muttered.

"We just didn't fit. And when I tried to leave."

"I kept following you. I wouldn't let you go."

She nodded. "That made me mad."

Marty blinked with his black eye. "You sure did." He turned around, ready to leave. "So… We are okay?"

"We are okay."

"Then I'll see you later… When some months have passed… Just to be safe," he said, smiling.

Angelica smiled. "I'll see you later, Marty."

He then stepped out of the table. So that was what he had done wrong. Lesson learned; don't act like you have planned the future. Especially not when the girl is not crazy about you.

"Marty!" the black horse suddenly called. The zebra stopped walking. She then said, "You weren't that bad at being a horse."

Laughing, Marty walked away, sending her a last glance.

"So how did it go?" Alex asked as Marty joined him and Spot.

"Fine," Marty said shortly. "Not exactly crack-a-lacking, but… Yeah."

Spot looked at him. "I guess this is goodbye."

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "I still haven't explained the whole thing."

"Alex did tell me something…"

Marty smiled to her. "What about I'll tell you it while we all walk back to the train?"

Spot chuckled softly. "That sounds like a good idea."

* * *

"Marty!" Gloria yelled. "We have to go now!"

"Coming!" he yelled back. Hearing how the train was about to start, he knew he did not have long time.

But something stopped him before he could jump into one of the wagons.

"Marty!" Spot yelled, running towards the train.

"Spot?" he exclaimed happily. "What are you doing here?"

It was the day after he had explained it all. Spot had understood why he had done it and had walked home with a smile. But now she was wearing s serious face.

"Is there no way that you can stay at the riding school?" she asked him. "We have black painting."

He chuckled. "I think I have to say no. It wasn't really my style…"

"The kids?"

"Kinda."

"You could be a racehorse," she suggested.

He tilted his head. "Maybe later."

"Marty!" Gloria yelled again, and the train let out a loud noise. Still, the horse did not enter it.

"And what about you?" he asked Spot. "No chance of being a circus horse? We could use you. For sure. I could teach you how to-"

"Maybe later," she cut him off, smiling.

"MARTY!" Alex yelled from one of the wagons. "Are you crazy?! Get in here!" The train was slowly starting to move.

The zebra looked over his shoulder, but then at Spot.

"You are coming back, right?" she asked him.

"Sure. I will make sure we are back here again as soon as possible," Marty promised her.

"You would make a great racehorse," she said again. "Or maybe we should call it a racezebra."

He laughed. "Maybe. And you can think about joining a circus while I am gone."

She smiled back. "Not to interrupt this, but I believe you have to use your skills again."

"What?" he asked, not getting it.

"Your train," she told him. "You are about to miss it."

Widened his eyes, he reacted by instinct. Speeding up, he ran along the already quick train. Concentrating, he took in a deep breath, then he jumped.

Luckily, he landed safely on the floor of one of the wagons. He quickly stood up, looking out of the open entrance.

Spot was too running along the train, though, just to talk with him.

"I'll see you later, racezebra!" she joked.

"See you later, circus horse!" he yelled back.

Then the train became too fast, and he lost the sight of her.

Though, he still had a smile on his lips. "Crack-a-lacking."

* * *

Things did work out greatly.

Abby and Oliver later became a great couple.

Ruby found another male horse to follow.

The circus became even more popular.

And Marty and Spot did meet again…. But that is a whole other story.

**The End**


End file.
